Chapter 171: Date With Vanessa PT.1! [FIXED!]

The bag went out that afternoon, sealed and dispatched to the address Mrs. Harriet had reluctantly sent over — the Louis Vuitton piece nestled beside the small flash drive Liam had loaded with copies of everything Sara had handed him. Once it was in the courier’s hands, there was nothing left to do but wait and hope it landed exactly the way he intended: a genuine gift wrapped around something far more dangerous.

Out of my hands now."

He checked the time — plenty left before he needed to pick up Vanessa, but not so much that he could afford to dawdle either. He headed to his closet, scanning through his options with a critical eye.

His first attempt was too relaxed — a fitted black tee under an open flannel, the kind of look that worked fine for a casual hangout but said absolutely nothing about the business conversation waiting for him tonight. He caught his reflection in the mirror and immediately shook his head.

No. Too much "grabbing drinks," not enough "here’s a multi-million dollar proposal."

He swapped it out, trying a full suit next, dark navy, crisp lines. Too far the other direction now — stiff, overly formal, more boardroom than dinner date. If he showed up looking like he’d walked straight out of a deposition, Vanessa would clock the mismatch instantly, and the whole point of tonight was making her comfortable enough to actually see him clearly, not just as her potential coworker playing dress-up as an entrepreneur.

He needed the middle ground. Something that said I take this seriously without screaming I’m trying too hard.

Liam settled on a fitted charcoal button-down, sleeves rolled precisely to the forearm, tucked into tailored black trousers. No tie, top button left undone, a slim leather watch completing the look instead of cufflinks or anything flashier. Polished but not stiff. The kind of outfit a man wore when he had somewhere to be that actually mattered, but didn’t need theatrics to prove it.

He briefly considered calling Darren for a second opinion, then immediately dismissed the thought.

"Nah. I’m not a rookie. I got this."

He checked himself in the mirror one final time, adjusting the sleeves slightly, smoothing down the front of the shirt.

"This will do," Liam said quietly, genuinely satisfied with the reflection staring back at him.

His phone buzzed — a confirmation notification that the package was on its way to Mrs. Harriet’s address. He glanced at it, a small flicker of relief passing through him.

"Now it’s on her."

Whatever she chose to do with what he’d sent — the gift, the information, all of it — was out of his control now. All that mattered was that it had actually reached her, intact, exactly as intended.

He grabbed his keys and headed for the door, mind shifting fully toward the night ahead. Vanessa was waiting, and there was a business proposal on the table worth more than any outfit could ever properly represent.

-

Vanessa stood in front of her bathroom mirror, carefully smoothing a stray curl into place. It had genuinely been a while since she’d put this much effort into getting ready — the kind of effort reserved for something that actually mattered, not just another obligatory work dinner.

Her hair fell in soft, loose waves tonight, swept mostly to one side, a few pieces pinned back delicately to keep it off her face while still leaving enough movement to look effortless rather than overdone. It had taken her nearly forty-five minutes to get exactly right, though she’d never admit that number out loud to anyone.

"It had been a while since Liam actually saw me in person anyway," she reasoned, smoothing her dress down for the third time. He probably won’t even notice the difference.

That was the story she was telling herself, at least.

Her bedroom door creaked open, and her roommate Penina leaned against the frame, arms crossed, a slow smirk spreading across her face as she took in the full picture — the dress, the hair, the makeup applied with clearly more precision than usual.

"Well, well," Penina said.

"Don’t," Vanessa said immediately, not even turning around.

"I didn’t say anything."

"You didn’t have to. I can hear you smirking."

Penina pushed off the doorframe and walked further into the room, studying her friend with open amusement. "So this is just a normal business dinner, huh?"

"Yes." Vanessa turned, chin lifted, daring her to argue. "It’s a business meeting. I have to look presentable."

"Presentable." Penina repeated the word slowly, like she was tasting how ridiculous it sounded. "Vanessa. You did your hair. You never do your hair like this for work."

"I do sometimes."

"You really don’t." Penina sat on the edge of the bed, clearly settling in for this. "This is ’I might actually kiss this man tonight’ hair, not ’let’s discuss quarterly projections’ hair."

"Oh my god." Vanessa pressed her palms to her face, feeling heat rise despite herself. "It’s not like that."

"Uh huh."

"It’s not."

"Vanessa." Penina said her name like she was talking to a child who’d clearly been caught. "You like him. Like, actually like him. You’ve liked him for weeks."

"I respect him professionally," Vanessa said stiffly, turning back to the mirror to avoid Penina’s knowing expression.

"Sure. Professionally." Penina laughed. "That’s why you tried on four different dresses before landing on that one."

"I wanted to look put together."

"You wanted to look hot, and you succeeded, so can we just be honest about that part at least?"

Vanessa opened her mouth to argue again, then sighed, shoulders dropping slightly as the fight went out of her. "Fine. Maybe I want him to notice."

"There it is." Penina grinned, victorious. "Was that so hard?"

"Yes," Vanessa muttered, checking her reflection one final time, smoothing invisible wrinkles from her dress. "Extremely hard."

Her phone buzzed on the dresser — a text from Liam confirming he was on his way. Vanessa’s stomach flipped despite every attempt to stay composed.

"He’s coming," she said, voice a little higher than she intended.

Penina stood, straightening the back of Vanessa’s dress with a satisfied pat. "Go get him, tiger. Business meeting and all."

Vanessa shot her a look, grabbed her clutch, and headed for the door, heart hammering the entire way down.